


The Best of Fools

by Denegressi



Category: Call Me By Your Name (2017) RPF
Genre: F/M, Fluff, M/M, Open Relationships, idontknowwhatimdoing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-10
Updated: 2018-09-12
Packaged: 2019-07-10 14:46:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,887
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15951524
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Denegressi/pseuds/Denegressi
Summary: This was born from my inner belief that it's possible to equally love two people at the same time. Timmy and Armie have been involved since filming of Call Me By Your Name. Both have an agreement of keeping everything in the shadows. In the meantime, Timmy meets someone that could fill in the void that he's left with when he's far from Armie.This story takes place immediately after Toronto.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> There's a lot of M/F involved so I guess this won't be everyone's cup of tea, but if you enjoy it, please share your thoughts :)

The sky was dark and the soft rain seemed to lull the two bodies sharing the bed in the New York apartment. Well, _studio_. She loved that studio though, all the memories it brought whenever she crossed the main threshold. Her own apartment seemed so absent of life when compared to Timmy’s studio.

 

His hand in her red hair was almost sending her into a blissful sleep but for the moment she was willing to fight against it. After all, sharing a bed these days was almost a privilege and she didn’t want to waste a lot of time sleeping.

 

“What do you have to do tomorrow?” She whispered.

 

“I intend to do absolutely nothing all day. If you’re free we can stay in to fuck and watch old movies,” he said cheekily.

 

“You certainly know how to talk to a girl, Chalamet!” She giggled lazily and ran a finger along his prominent cheekbone. “You’re not going to say goodbye to Armie? It was his last show tonight, am I right?”

 

“Yeah… but he’s busy packing everything and we just had a great time in Toronto. We had more time than I could have dreamed of…”

 

She smiled and took a deep breath, closing her eyes. “I’m glad.” She wasn’t lying.

 

Timmy smiled and settled down on the bed, getting confortable against her warm body.

 

Her name is Ingrid Meyers. Just like Timmy, she’s an actress and lives in New York. Her family is English but they moved to New York when Ingrid was 12 since her father’s business took a turn. She started acting as a child and that is how she got to know Saoirse Ronan and become one of her closest friends. They were in the same film when they were both barely teenagers and they instantly became attached at the hip.

 

That was how, many years later, Ingrid was introduced to Timothée Chalamet, when she was visiting her dear friend at the Lady Bird set. Her family had gone back to the UK when her father got sick, but at that point her life was settled in NY so she stayed. She visited as much as possible though.

 

“But no, I have nothing to do tomorrow and I like your plan. But you should go see Armie. Fuck knows when you’ll be able to be together again.”

 

“We’ll see, I don’t want to talk about it right now,” he murmured against her shoulder blade.

 

She nodded and leaned even closer to him. Sleep overtook them quite quickly.

 

*

 

_One day earlier_

 

“Man, you really need to hurry up, you’ll miss your flight!”

 

Armie groaned and stretched on the bed. “I love the play, but right now I really wish it didn’t exist…”

 

“You don’t mean that, come on!” Timmy said, throwing clothes in Armie’s direction.

 

“When is your flight?”

 

“Mid afternoon, I still have some press today. Why?”

 

“Just curious,” he shrugged putting on his shirt. “I envy you right now. You get to go home and rest…”

 

“Yeah, well, I kind of deserve it, don’t you think?”

 

Armie smiled getting up and walking towards the younger man. Putting his arms around that slim waist, he brought their lips together in a tender kiss. It was quite a contrast to the fervent ones they shared during that night.

 

“Will I see you before I go to LA?”

 

“Do you want to?”

 

“I always want to see you, you know that! This weekend was… it surpassed all the expectations I had.”

 

“Yeah… But I’m not sure about NY, man… I guess I just want to leave on a high note, you know? Just us in this room. Your place in NY will be cramped tomorrow…”

 

“Yeah, you’re right.”

 

Armie resumed getting dressed while Timothée watched him in silence.

 

The opportunities they both had at the festival were kind of unexpected but absolutely welcomed. They were able to sneak together for an entire night and they saw each other multiple times over the two days. They even played a little bit with the fans through instagram in the spur of the moment. Armie knew his wife wouldn’t happy about that little game, and he would have to think of ways to make it up to her.

 

There were times when she was suspicious that his relationship with Timmy was not exactly platonic, but he always managed to erase those doubts right away. Truth was, he loved her, and he loved Timmy and he knew the only way he could keep both was if his relationship with his fellow actor stayed in the shadows.

 

But it was so unfair to Timmy… As much as he said that he was okay, that he understood, there were times when Armie feared loosing him. In the past, there were some moments when Timmy was feeling overwhelmed and being in the shadows wasn’t helping. In their world, there was not much choice anyway…

 

He was happy that Timmy had been able to find a great companion in Ingrid. Armie adored that girl. She was funny, witty and she never suffocated Timmy. Quite the contrary, actually. But Armie could see that even though they didn’t consider themselves a couple, she was falling for him (who wouldn’t?) and sooner or later she could end up getting hurt as well.

 

Contrary to Elizabeth, Ingrid was well aware of what was going on between Armie and Timmy. When they became friends, sex quickly became a part of their relationship and Timmy couldn’t keep it away from her. Especially because he felt that she wasn’t just another one. He had asked Armie if he was okay with it and the older man couldn’t deny him that. In fact, he felt like it would be good for Timmy to confide in someone and he trusted his judgment that this person would never spread the word. Later on, Saoirse was also included in the little circle that new about their affair, but that was it.

 

“Well… Guess this is it,” Armie said when we was dressed and prepared to leave. “Give me a hug, come on.”

 

With teary eyes, Timothée launched himself in that familiar embrace.

 

*

 

_Present_

“Remind me again, _why_ are we watching _Seven_?” Ingrid asked with a shrug, putting an apple shaped cookie in her mouth. “Not that I’m complaining, Brad Pitt and all.”

 

“Because we _both_ agreed…?”

 

“I don’t know if I agreed to anything, you were distracting me…”

 

Timmy chuckled and moved on the couch so his head was resting on Ingrid’s lap. “If you’re not up to it you can amuse yourself by massaging my scalp.”

 

“If I have to…” she sighed, burring her fingers in his dark hair. They both knew they wouldn’t see much of the movie, which was in fact why they chose something they had both seen a hundred times already.

 

Ingrid’s phone started buzzing one the table and she picked it up smiling at the screen.

 

“Hey Saoirse!”

 

That got Timmy’s attention, so he turned on the couch looking directly at the redhead as she talked to their common friend.

 

“You’re in New York?? Great! Yeah, definitely, where and when? Okay, perfect, I’ll check with Tim if he wants to tag along. Bye sweetheart!”

 

“She’s back?”

 

“Yeah! We’re meeting up for drinks tonight, do you want to come?”

 

“Tempting, but I think I’ll pass… I’m really not in the mood to be out tonight, sorry.”

 

“It’s okay…”

 

“But you’re welcome to come back here afterwards, you know?”

 

“I know.” She smiled and leaned down for a chaste kiss. “But I’ll probably go home. I don’t want to wake you.”

 

Timmy shrugged and covered her hand with his own. He felt so lucky to have her but he wasn’t naïve not to know that their relationship had everything to end up in disaster. He wanted things to move forward for them though… But he didn’t want to pressure her.

 

“Wouldn’t you like to… you know, come with me to one of the premiers?”

 

Her hand stopped abruptly and her eyes went wide as she looked down at him.

 

“Timmy, I’m not… I don’t think you want that kind of exposure right now.”

 

“I don’t want it, or _you_ don’t want it?”

 

“Both, I guess?”

 

“There are rumours about us everywhere, Igs, I don’t think people would be that surprised.”

 

“They probably wouldn’t, but you’re on such a high right now… Are you sure you want that kind of coverage?”

 

Timmy sat up and put his hands on her neck, leaning in to kiss her softly. She kissed him back without hesitation, teasing his lower lip before he pulled back. “It will happen sooner or later…” He said softly. “And I want to know your opinion about the movie, anyway. I’m not asking you to walk the red carpet with me, I’m just asking you to come see a movie.”

 

“Okay… I guess that makes sense. And I _do_ want to see it.”

 

“Thank you!” His smile was contagious and just like that she was won over. “Can I ask you something?”

 

“Of course.”

 

“If it wasn’t for Armie… Would you consider being with me, like… as a true couple, all strings attached?”

 

“Where did that come from?” Her heart was pounding but she tried her best to stay collected.

 

“Just a question…”

 

“I don’t know, Timmy… I don’t even think that Armie is what’s at stake here…”

 

“Then why can’t I tell my parents and my friends that you’re my girlfriend? They already know you well enough anyway… What’s the deal, if Armie is not a problem?”

 

She looked down for a moment, trying to collect her thoughts. Of course she wanted to move things forward but she knew their world was not merciful when it came to couples. And with his rising fame… things could be even trickier.

 

“All my life I’ve seen relationships between actors failing pretty spectacularly. I don’t know if it’s the time spent apart, if it’s the obvious affairs, the pressure, the constant spotlight… I don’t know. But I don’t like it. However, when it comes to you… it seems like I can’t keep the distance. So I guess we’re walking in that direction but I’m so scared, Timmy… And it’s not because of Armie. I understand why you must keep and treasure what you have with him and I’d never come in between. But what will happen if or _when_ his wife finds out?”

 

“She won’t.”

 

“You don’t know that… I just fear that I would be dragged into so much drama and that scares the shit out of me. And…”

 

“And…?”

 

“Never mind…  Listen,” she took a deep breath and intertwined their fingers, “I’ll go to one of the premiers, but not as your date. At least not for now, you have to be patient with me. But we can maybe figure out what we have? Like… if we want to be together, _together_?”

 

“I know I want us to be together, _together_ , Igs. “

 

She smiled and ran a hand through his hair. “But for the moment, let’s do it in private and only between our parents, close friends and us. Are you okay with that?”

 

“That’s all I can ask of you.”

 

*

 

**Dude, I’m shattered, I’d happily hibernate for the next three months.**

_You should! It would be good for your skin._

**The fuck?!**

_Joking, joking! How’s LA, though? Still the same? And how come you’re already awake at this hour?_

**I’m calling you in a minute, man.**

Timmy smiled and got out of bed to brush his teeth. As he expected, Ingrid didn’t return to his place the previous night. As much as a part of him wanted to go with her and see Saoirse, he also knew that he owed her that – some alone time with her best friend – especially after what they had discussed after her call.

 

Saoirse was the only one among their friends who knew about Timmy and Armie, so she was the only one who could give Ingrid valid advice.

 

His phone started buzzing just as he emerged from the bathroom and he picked it up without looking at the screen.

 

“It’s like 7am in LA, man, do you miss me that much?”

 

He could hear Armie’s chuckle from the other side as he sat down on the couch.

 

“More like jetlag, but yeah, not that your ego needs any more boosting lately, but I do miss your fucking face already.”

 

“Me too… But has something happened?”

 

“Not really… Everyone’s still sleeping and I was just turning around in bed, so… I figured you’d be awake by now.” There was a long pause then, which was not unusual during their phone calls. Those were comfortable silences though, just feeling each other _there._ “It was a good weekend, wasn’t it?”

 

“Definitely.”

 

“You big, shining star…”

 

“Stop it, stop right there!” Armie could _see_ Timmy’s cheeks flushing as he covered his face with his free hands.

 

“How’s Ingrid?”

 

“She’s her usual self, you know her,” Timmy smiled. “She’ll be doing press in LA by the end of the week. Will you keep an eye on her on my behalf? You know how much she hates LA, I don’t like the idea of her moping around over there.”

 

“Of course… for the next two weeks things are pretty calm for me, so, I’ll take the assignment.”

 

“Thanks man. You know, we… we talked yesterday and, she’s willing to… you know, get _official_.”

 

“What does that mean?” Timmy could feel that his statement had scared Armie. He could also feel the conflict. Armie knew that he had no right to ask him anything. The fact that he was able to do this behind his wife’s back didn’t mean that he could ask the same of Timmy. Moreover, it would be impossible to fool Ingrid, so that could mean two things – she would still be okay with it, or they would have to end their affair..

 

“Doesn’t change anything between you and me.”

 

“It doesn’t?”

 

“No, Armie. Listen, I really like her and we have a connection, you know? She _gets_ me, that’s why she doesn’t mind what you and I have. And I… I don’t know man, I want to be able to call her my girlfriend because that’s how I feel about her right now. I want her to be by my side during awards season, not on the other side of the room like last time, you see?”

 

“Of course, Timmy. You know you have my support and I totally see what you mean. What did she say?”

 

“Oh, you know her… she doesn’t want a relationship in the spotlight, but she’s willing to tell our parents and friends.”

 

“Don’t your parents know already? And her mother, I mean… Don’t insult her intelligence!” Armie laughed and lay down on his couch. “Didn’t you guys sleep on the same bed when you were there?”

 

“Well… Her father had just passed, so… I’m not sure her mother paid much attention, anyway.”

 

During filming of The King, Ingrid’s father had passed after a long battle against cancer. Her hometown was in Leeds, in the UK, which wasn’t far from most of Timmy’s filming locations. He was her rock during that period and that was when he realised how much he cared for her. Their relationship had been mostly based on sex up until that point, but when he discovered the need to be there for her, to hold her at night and comfort her as much as he could he knew that she was special.

 

“Yeah, but still… Anyway, I’m happy for you guys, it was about time! But the media will go crazy… One thing is rumours, but once you step on a red carpet with her, you’ll break the Internet!”

 

“We’ll take it slow…”

 

Suddenly Armie groaned and sighed. “Well… my time is over, Harper just woke up. I need to go man, but call me if you need to talk more about this, will you?”

 

“Sure! Send my best to everyone and tell Harper I loved her gift.” When the little girl found out Armie would be with Timmy she insisted that she wanted her Dad to bring him one of her pink ponies so he would never forget her. As if he could, anyway…

 

“She’ll want to talk to you soon, I guess, so I’ll probably facetime you later during the day.”

 

“I can’t wait! Bye, and thank you!”

 

When he disconnected the call he sent Ingrid a quick text.

 

_Just to let you know that I’m coming to yours for lunch, so you better be ready to satisfy my appetite._

 

He hopped in the shower, feeling quite content, and when he was drying himself he saw that he had the expected text on his phone.

 

Yes your majesty, but you’ll have to cook because my head hasn’t really stopped spinning.

 

Chuckling, he tossed the towel over the shower wall and replied.

 

_I’ll stop by the grocery shop on the way. And treat than hangover because I want all the deets!!!_

It felt good to be back, to settle in NY for a few days, finally. And it felt good to have someone to come back to.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This takes place before the original story, between Texas and Timmy's travel to Europe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As I said before this contains a lot of M/F so if it's not to your taste, proceed with caution :P
> 
> If you're so inclined, don't hesitate to tell me what you think, I have many ideas for these characters, but not sure if it's worth the effort or not. 
> 
> Thank you!

Hands deep in his pockets, Timothée decided to take a stroll around the streets of Austin. Nobody gave a damn about him in that city so it actually felt good. Part of him knew he was going to miss the craziness of the last few weeks. It was overwhelming but not unwelcome. He still couldn’t believe that he was starting to have a legion of adoring fans following his every step.

 

The more reasonable part of him though, knew he needed to shut down. The project in Europe seemed to be the best idea to follow at this point. He would be away, he would be able to concentrate on something new and completely different from what he had done up until that point. It still felt quite strange that he was going to play an English king, but he couldn’t wait to get into it.

 

The most difficult part would be the distance… Being away from his family and… from Armie. They had been lucky so far. They have lived in each other’s pockets for two years, between promo and Timothée filming in California, and now he was aware that it wouldn’t be easy for them to see each other until the end of the summer.

 

Timothée had felt extremely happy when Armie asked him to come to Austin, he didn’t even care that his mother would be there judging him. It was one opportunity to say goodbye for the time being, and for that he was grateful. His speech had been long, and he knew some members of the audience just wanted him to shut up, but he didn’t care, he went through with it. Now he was making time before he went to his hotel room where he would meet Armie one last time before Europe.

 

His phone buzzed in his pocket and he picked it up to read Armie’s text.

 

**I’ll be there in 30.**

Timothée sent a _thumbs up_ in response already feeling warmed from the inside. With a smile, he made his way back to the hotel.

 

*

 

“How much time do we have?” Timothée whispered against Armie’s mouth as they lay on the hotel bed. Armie picked up his phone and groaned.

 

“I have to leave in about 20 minutes, give or take.”

 

Timothée whimpered and buried his face in the pillow. He was lying on his stomach, hands tucked beneath the pillow as Armie laid on his side, one hand going up and down his back, paying special attention to the curve of his ass. The moment they entered the hotel room, clothes flew from their bodies, in between fervent kisses and urgent touches. Two orgasms (for each) later and they had finally settled on the bed.

 

“What is it?” Armie asked, scooting closer to the slender body and kissing Timothées curls. The younger man finally looked back at him and sighed deeply. “Timmy… talk to me.”

 

“I’m just being paranoid… I feel things will change.”

 

“What things?”

 

Timothée grinned, he couldn’t help it. “The things that matter…?”

 

He earned a slap on the butt for that, “cheeky!”

 

“I don’t know, Armie, but for the first time since Crema we’re going to be apart for a huge amount of time, and that’s sobering for me, like… I know distance doesn’t help any kind of relationship.”

 

“I thought you had more faith in me.”

 

Timothée groaned and pressed his face back against the pillow for a moment.

 

“I have all the faith in the world,” he said once he emerged. “I’m just being insecure. I’m being 22, I guess. And it guts me that you’ll spend the whole summer in _my city_ and I won’t be there…”

 

“Yeah… that will certainly be weird. But you won’t get rid of me. Not until the day you tell me to fuck off…”

 

“I don’t think that day will come. You shouldn’t count on it anyway.” Timothée moved on his back then, Armie leaning closer to lay his head on the brunet’s shoulder. He loved this position, he felt so much closer to Timothée because he was free to show this vulnerable, tender side and leave the big alpha male at the door.

 

“I’m really happy that you found Ingrid, though… I didn’t want you to be stuck with me in that way, and it scared me at times, that I would selfishly but subconsciously prevent you from opening your heart,” as Armie confessed that, his finger kept playing with Timothée’s nipple.

 

“Yeah… we’re not really together though.”

 

“It’s not just sex either, don’t even try to tell me otherwise.”

 

“No, at least for me it’s not, but… for her… I don’t know man. Sometimes I think it is, sometimes I think she wants more, I don’t know. Women are complicated.”

 

Armie chuckled at that “You don’t say! Do you think her hesitation is because of us?”

 

“I don’t know man… I really want to talk to her about it, but now her father got worse and I don’t think she’s in the right frame of mind to go through that conversation. And don’t want to push any buttons right now, it’s not fair.”

 

“I get it…” Armie leaned up then, looking into his lover’s green eyes. “You’ll know what to do though. You’ll figure it out.”

 

“Maybe, maybe not, but anyway, _right now_ , I just want to live this moment.” Armie propped himself up on one elbow and smirked.

 

“Ten minutes?”

 

“We can do it!”

 

Of course they could. Timothée rolled them over so he was on top and started humping Armie´s hip until he was fully hard again. Leaning down, he licked from his chin, passing along his cheek until he reached the corner of Armie’s right eye. Sometimes Armie had to restrain himself not to call Timothée his _kitten_ more often than the brunet would like. But he had never been with someone who enjoyed licking to that extent… Well, he wasn’t complaining either.

 

*

 

A few days later

 

_Hey Igs. Just to remind you that I’ll arrive at your beloved country in two days! I need some classes to posh up my british accent, are you up to it?_

The text had been sent in the morning and he got no answer until late afternoon. Since he was in France, time difference was only an hour, so time wasn’t really an issue. He got worried but tried not to think too much about it. He knew she had flown back to England just before he went to Texas because of her father but apart from the occasional text, their interactions had been minimal. Timothée wondered if he was indeed losing her.

 

I’m so sorry. Can I ring you?

 

Timothée didn’t even answer, he called her straight away.

 

“Hi, Timmy. I’m sorry I blacked out on you, but it’s been crazy…”

 

Her voice was off and he immediately suspected that her father’s cancer had taken a turn for the worse.

 

“There’s nothing to apologise. Do you want to talk? Or… I don’t know, I don’t want to bother you, if that’s the case.”

 

“Yes, I want to talk, please, I…” She started sobbing and Timothée felt his chest tighten. “I don’t know what to do…”

 

She proceeded to tell him that her father had gone through surgery but he wasn’t getting better. The doctors were pessimistic and she was a mess, unable to give any support to her mother and brother, a feeling that was killing her.

 

“Iggy, don’t be too hard on yourself, it’s your father too.”

 

“My brother’s only twelve, Timmy…”

 

He took a deep breath and suddenly there was only one thing we could think of doing.

 

“Listen, I’ll anticipate my flight. I can be there tomorrow morning and spend the day with you, what do you think?”

 

“You don’t want to see me like this…”

 

“Nonsense, just say yes, I want to be able to do something for you. Please.”

 

“Okay.”

 

Timothée let out a sigh of relief and picked a paper and pen.

 

“Great. Give me your address and I’ll take care of the rest.”

 

*

 

Brian wasn’t happy with the change in plans but he ended up accepting it. Timothée would spend one day in Leeds and the next morning a car would be waiting for him to take him to the hotel in another city about an hour away where he’d have to attend a few meetings concerning _The King_.

 

Ingrid was in fact a mess. She had spent the night at the hospital to give her mother a break and so the bags under her eyes were evident. When Timothée arrived she was just getting back and the sight of him overwhelmed her. Her red locks were dishevelled and her clothes were baggy and crooked and that sight made him want to squeeze her until all her sadness was gone. Forgetting the fact that she had promised herself that she wouldn’t break down, Ingrid ran into his arms and held onto him as if he represented her salvation.

 

And maybe he did.

 

“Come inside. It’s quite cold…” she murmured against his neck before stepping back. She grabbed his hand and guided him into the house. They took of their coats and shoes and she showed him around quickly before going back to the kitchen. “I’ll prepare a cup of tea. Get you started on our English culture,” she said sniffling.

 

“Thank you, my Lady.”

 

“I’d offer you scones, but I didn’t have time to bake them,” she teased, putting one strand of hair behind her ear. “Take a sit.”

 

She busied herself with the task of making tea and Timothée waited until she sat down with the two mugs.

 

“Thank you.”

 

“Thank _you_ for coming, I… I didn’t want to mess with your schedule but I find myself in this position where I have, wait no, I _want_ you to do this for me, so… thank you,” she gulped looking at him in the eyes.

 

Timothée reached out for her hand and entertained their fingers. “You’re welcome. And you didn’t mess anything.”

 

Afterwards she proceeded to explain to him everything that was going wrong and how little hope there was left. Her father was to be moved to palliative care in order to live as good as possible and free of pain, but he probably wouldn’t leave the hospital again. She cried and paused several times and Timothée simply let her put it out.

 

“And in the meantime I had to turn down the project with Martin-fucking-Scorsese… I had already been cast, but I just couldn’t go through with it, Timmy, I’d do a terrible job… And I don’t want to leave and… and…”

 

“You do what you think it’s best, you owe nothing to anyone, Ingrid, nothing. And you have nothing to prove.”

 

He could barely imagine how it had felt to her all this time. This was her hometown but she haven’t lived there for 10 years, so she didn’t really have any friends around…

 

“We’re taking turns to stay with him because… You know, in case he…” she took a deep breath. “In case he _goes_ , we don’t want him to be alone…”

 

Timothée had to push back his own tears and focus. “Come,” he said getting and pulling her with him. “Lay down with me for a bit, you need to sleep.”

 

She smiled weekly and led him to her bedroom. They lay down on top of the covers and spooned, Timothée whispering sweet nothings in her ear and even singing to her softly. They stayed there until mid afternoon.

 

*

 

**How is she?**

_Managing, I guess._

**And you?**

_Me?_

**Yes, how are you dealing with it?**

_I just wish I could throw away her pain. I feel useless…_

**Timmy… You being there is worth more than anything else you could have thought of doing. She’s lucky for that. And that counts as a friend, as a lover, whatever you may call yourselves. You’ve just showed her that you’re there for her, physically and emotionally.**

_Wow… okay…_

**I bring truths!**

_You’re the true king, not me! You know how to use words, man._


End file.
